Description

The monument comprises a motte of medieval date, visible as a mound and associated earthworks. It was first scheduled in 1953, but an inadequate area was included to protect all the archaeological remains. The present scheduling rectifies this.

The monument lies in a level area of arable land close to the point where the river Bardock merges with the Don, at a height of around 285m OD. It comprises an oval mound, measuring some 80m from NNW to SSE by 40m transversely, surrounded by a ditch. Measuring from the base of the ditch to the summit of the mound, the height of the motte is approximately 12m.

The defensive capabilities of the site were enhanced by the fact that the moat was once filled with water. A large bank extending to the NW of the mound was used to dam a small lake, from which water was supplied to fill the ditch as required. Further protection was provided beyond this water-filled moat in the form of an outer bank, enlarged on the SE to form a crescentic platform, approximately 25m across (maximum). This probably formed the bailey, which would once have been enclosed around its perimeter by a palisade of closely-spaced timbers.

Evidence of stone structures contemporary with the motte's primary occupation is discernible on the summit of the mound, including the remains of an encircling curtain wall and a rectangular structure that may represent the remains of a church. The monument appears to have been built during the late 12th or early 13th century, probably by the Earl of Mar, a powerful local magnate sympathetic to the Normans.

The area proposed for scheduling comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related material may be expected to survive. It is irregular on plan, with maximum dimensions of 278m from its northernmost point to its southernmost point, by 198m from its easternmost point to its westernmost point, as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography
No Bibliography entries for this designation

Source: Historic Environment Scotland